Category Archives: Events

Goodbye The Lead Agency, Hello TLA

The Lead Agency (TLA) is the market leader in lead generation for the UK automotive sector and today we launch our new brand identity. We believe this new brand more accurately reflects our continued growth in the performance marketing space.

Founded in 2002, we have firmly established TLA as the UK’s foremost provider of sales-qualified consumers to more than 30 automotive brands, and, while lead generation remains a core part of our business’ offering, we believe that our previous brand no longer conveyed our growing portfolio of services in performance marketing, content and technology solutions.

Coinciding with our 18th birthday celebrations this month, The Lead Agency will rebrand as TLA, with an accompanying new visual identity and brand message.

“It is important that our brand mirrors not just how we have evolved, but how our market has changed.” Says Anton Hanley, TLA CEO.

“Lead generation is a part of a larger performance marketing ecosystem for our clients, and we have evolved to offer far more than our existing brand suggests, including transformational technology solutions and a greater portfolio of performance marketing options.”

“Our new brand identity focuses on who we are today and what we really excel in, and we are excited to share it with our clients, partners and the wider market.”

“We wanted to understand exactly what the business stood for and aspired to be, and worked closely with colleagues over a three month period to really drill into the core of TLA’s corporate identity.” Says Jonny Kimber, Lead Designer and primary architect of the new brand identity.

“The primary themes that emerged were automotive expertise, the quest for excellence, technological innovation and drive and ambition, all of which are reflected in our new logo: by the toggle itself, which represents both technology and our drive by constantly being “on” for our clients; and by the toggle switch, which shows a starred alloy, signifying automotive expertise and excellence.”

“It has been a fascinating process and has helped us get an even stronger sense of who TLA is from the perspective of clients, partners and new and existing employees.”

The brand launch comes weeks after the release of Platform X, our end-to-end consumer acquisition platform that will revolutionise the way that brands operate and measure performance marketing campaigns across their entire spectrum of channels.

Our highlights from the European Data Protection Summit

We were among the 300+ delegates in attendance at the European Data Protection Summit last month to take in some great sessions on GDPR, privacy and more.

The two-day event covered GDPR 16 months on from its introduction, privacy in the era of AI and other emerging technologies and tracking cookies and the need for organisations to ensure that they are following lawful process.

Among the key takeaways from the latter session were:

  • Analytics cookies are not ‘strictly necessary’ and so can’t be used without consent;
  • A high level of (GDPR-compliant) consent must be obtained;
  • No cookies should be dropped until that consent has been given and all third parties should be named.

This will have a significant impact on how many organisations operate.

Another key takeaway from the Summit was that many companies have been waiting for the new ePrivacy Regulation before making any changes – but it may never become law in the UK if its date of application falls after the end of any transition period when the UK leaves the EU.

However, the UK will no doubt have to adopt similar rules even if the ePrivacy Regulation does not apply, so it’s important to be prepared and plan for these changes.

For more insights from the event, contact the TLA compliance team.

Key takeaways from Jonathan Levav’s Liverpool City Region roundtable event

Last month, Liverpool City Region played host to a special guest – Stanford School of Business professor of marketing Jonathan Levav – who shared his insights from the California tech scene.

Prior to an afternoon session at Liverpool’s Hope Street Hotel, which unpicked the patterns of creativity used by Silicon Valley’s best, Levav spent the morning with a range of professionals, tech companies, policy makers and academic organisations for an exclusive roundtable.

The event was organised by sponsors Brabners, Growth Platform, The Lead Agency and RSM. Here are their key takeaways from an inspiring discussion.

Mark Basnett, managing director at Growth Platform reflects on the discussion: “Collaboration between the universities, public sector and private organisations is critical to success – bringing together the right mix of support to nurture good ideas and successfully take them to market. This theme also extends into building a tech community that supports each other to grow as this enables entrepreneurs to take a risk as they have the support of a wider network.”

Anton Hanley, Group CEO at The Lead Agency, said: “It was interesting to hear about the difference in risk appetite between the UK and the US. Failing is a rite of passage that all entrepreneurs go through; but in the US there is a transparency around this, and a belief that through persistence it leads to better outcomes. In the UK, there is more fear around failure and a tendency to move on quickly from setbacks. As Jonathan highlighted, changing this mindset can help us encourage more innovation.”

Graham Bond, Liverpool and Chester office managing partner at RSM agrees but warned that a track record of failure doesn’t help when getting finance: “The development process can be detrimental to that next step of growth; but ‘smart money’ shouldn’t fear failure, it should expect it and help put a framework of support and advice around each investment to maximise the chances of success.

“This could be where the government and policyholders need to step in to provide incentives, whether its tax breaks; business rates relief; or a match funding system that allows entrepreneurs to test an idea, and probably fail a few times; before they land on the winning product or service.”

Nik White, managing partner at Brabners, said: “It was clear from the organisations around the table and key initiatives launching across the city that Liverpool City Region is heading in the right direction; but we need to create some hype about the amazing academic research, start-ups and established businesses that is going on under the radar. This hype will not only showcase the innovation in the city, but catch the eye of talent, investors and other tech businesses, which is needed to create an effective ecosystem.”

Following on from Jonathan visit, Growth Platform and partners are now looking to establish an Innovation Ecosystem working group to take forward the discussion and the issues raised.

Lessons from Silicon Valley: Where do great ideas come from?

How do Silicon Valley companies consistently produce successful, innovative ideas?

Stanford School of Business’s professor of marketing Jonathan Levav will visit Liverpool on Friday 8 November to discuss the patterns of innovation used by California’s most prolific tech companies.

Taking place at Hope Street Hotel, the event will see Jonathan discuss the findings of his extensive research based on the university’s close-working relationship Silicon Valley. He’ll reveal how it takes a structured, inside-the-box approach to consistently produce great ideas.

Having met Jonathan at a week-long event at Stanford last year, we were immediately struck by his level of insight. Along with our fellow sponsors Growth Platform, Brabners and RSM UK, we will be flying Jonathan over to share his ideas with Liverpool businesses.

If you aspire to disrupt an established market or avoid being left behind by the competition, this event is not to be missed.

With a limited number of tickets available, please visit Eventbrite to secure your place.

Silicon Valley event in Liverpool

About Jonathan

Jonathan’s research focuses on understanding the judgments and choices of consumers by using tools from experimental psychology and behavioural economics. His studies into the contextual factors that influence people’s choices and judgments was the subject of his engaging TEDx talk in 2013.

Working with the university has also seen Jonathan work closely with Silicon Valley, where he has identified the repeatable patterns that are being used by the world’s most innovative businesses to consistently produce great ideas. Contrary to the belief that it centres on outside-the-box thinking and a blank canvas, he found that consistent creativity requires a more structured, inside-the-box approach.

Jonathan received his PhD in marketing from the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, and his A.B. in public and international affairs from Princeton University. He is the winner of the Hillel Einhorn Young Investigator Award, awarded biennially by the Society for Judgment and Decision-Making.

Stanford Professor to run Silicon Valley-inspired Masterclass for media agencies in London

In November, TLA will be hosting an exclusive Marketing Masterclass led by Stanford Business School Professor of Marketing Jonathan Levav.

Having met Jonathan at a week-long event held at Stanford earlier this year, we were immediately struck by the quality of his research and findings – particularly around his work with Silicon Valley, where he’s identified the patterns of innovation used by the most high-profile tech companies in the world.

To coincide with the launch of our brand new customer acquisition platform, we’re flying Jonathan over from California to share his insights and run a one-off idea generation workshop for media agencies and publishers on Monday 11 November (2pm-5pm) at London’s Soho House.

Once he’s unpicked the patterns of innovation used by the Valley’s best, attendees will get chance to put them into practice to generate ideas of their own. This is an event not to be missed!

A limited number of tickets are available, so please email [email protected] to express your interest in the event.

About Jonathan

Jonathan Levav is Professor of Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. His research focuses on understanding the judgments and choices of consumers by using tools from experimental psychology and behavioural economics. His studies into the contextual factors that influence people’s choices and judgments was the subject of his engaging TEDx talk.

Working with the university has also seen Jonathan work closely with Silicon Valley, where he has identified the repeatable patterns that being used world’s most innovative businesses to consistently produce great ideas. Contrary to the belief that it centres on outside-the-box thinking and a blank canvas, he found that consistent creativity requires a more structured, inside-the-box approach.

Jonathan received his PhD in marketing from the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, and his A.B. in public and international affairs from Princeton University. He is the winner of the Hillel Einhorn Young Investigator Award, awarded biennially by the Society for Judgment and Decision-Making.

Ironman Italy challenge up next for TLA

We’re no stranger to setting ourselves and working towards ambitious challenges. It’s part of our DNA, and this weekend is a case in point.

Five TLA teammates will be taking part in Ironman Italy on Saturday, a triathlon like no other. Anton, Tom, Neil, Abel and Joshua will take in the breathtakingly beautiful and historic scenery of Cervia, just off the Emilia-Romagna coast – one of Italy’s most famous regions for art, nature and food.

Our team have been training hard, even swimming in the Mersey as part of their training, to ensure they’re ready for what Italy’s only Ironman challenge has to offer. The challenge begins in Romagna with a 3.8km swim, before each athlete cycles 180km through the Natural Park of Salt Pens of Cervia and finally completes a marathon taking in the region’s most prominent landmarks.

The event is the latest in a series of charity events being planned as part of a commitment to raise money for mental health charity NABS.

Check out the TLA LinkedIn page on Monday to see photos of the event.

Everything you need to know about Dot Net Liverpool

Every month, Liverpool’s .NET community meet at TLA’s city centre office for technical presentations, networking and pizza.

We asked the group’s founder, TLA’s own Joshua Duxbury to give us the lowdown on what people can expect and look forward to from future meet-ups.

What is Dot Net Liverpool and who is it for?

Dot Net Liverpool is a meet-up community group in Liverpool for technologists interested in Microsoft products and tools. We meet every month at 20 Chapel Street (home of TLA) for a technical presentation with pizza and drinks supplied by a sponsor, followed by a networking session.

What prompted you to create the group?

Dot Net Liverpool is part of the Dot Net Foundation consisting of 300 meetup groups internationally. When looking for Microsoft meet-ups near Liverpool the closest groups are in Manchester. A lot of people I met at these events commuted from outside of Liverpool to attend (including myself).

Despite having many developers working with Microsoft technologies Liverpool didn’t seem to have a group to bring everyone together. That is when I seeked support from other meetup group hosts such as Rik Garner and Pete Vickers that helped me understand what was involved and put me on the right road to starting up my own meetup community group.

What have been the topics discussed at the Meet-ups so far?

All of our past events can be found on our meet-up page. So far, we have hosted six events all on different topics. From reviewing feedback, our attendees have been impressed and left feeling that our group has provided them valuable insight.

The highlight for me is the socialising aspect; not only with the speakers but the community we have brought together. We have gained a reoccurring assortment of tech enthusiasts and it’s great to see attendees coming time and time again. From the most junior to the most senior, and even previous speakers, they find value in the meet-up.

What topics are on the agenda for future sessions?

We are welcoming Microsoft MVP Luce Carter to talk at our next event on 25 July who is presenting a talk on Xamarin for C# developers.

Are there any guest speakers you’d love to host in the future?

There are many speakers we would love to get into Liverpool in the future but just to name a few: Jon Skeet, author of C# In depth, and Dylan Beattie, the organiser of London Dot Net.

You’ve recently launched a new brand identity courtesy of the branding team at TLA. What can you tell us about it and why do you feel it represents what the group is all about?

Dot Net Liverpool - Black logoThe design team have done a wonderful Job. We have chose this design because of its simplicity but also the professionalism it offers.

Inside the logo are interconnecting lines (a bit like how the internet works today, connecting peers over a network). That’s exactly what our meet-up group is trying to represent on a social scale – bringing people together to learn, share and discuss technology advancements.

The Logo is easily transferable to all of our assets such a T-Shirts, posters and our website and is easily identifiable as Dot Net Liverpool.

What should people do if they want to know more?

Firstly, come along. Once a month you get a chance to meet some great people, gain some knowledge, have a laugh, drink and some eat pizza!

Our website links all our pages together such as Meet-up and Twitter, where you can find the latest information. Make sure to join/subscribe/follow our channels to find out when our next events will be taking place.

As Josh mentioned above, the next meetup featuring Luce Carter will take place on Thursday 25 July, from 6pm – 9pm, at TLA’s office on Chapel Street. 

TLA team to take on Tough Mudder Challenge

In recent years, taking part in physical challenges in the name of a worthy cause have become a big part of our culture. We’ve had cycles from London to Liverpool, Paris and, most recently, Brighton; plus, marathons, 10k runs, Man v Lakes and more.

Next up on the list, as part of our mission to raise £25,000 for NABS, is the Tough Mudder North West 5k, which takes place at Cheshire’s Cholmondeley Castle on the Saturday 7 September.

While our charity events are always open to any member of staff, this marks the first time that an all-female team will be representing the company. Ten TLA ladies will be wading through the mud and dirt to overcoming challenging obstacles: marketers Rachel Hellon and Amara Molloy, developer Shannon Miller, project manager Emily Abbey, financial assistant Joanna Walmsley, QC manager Laurie Bloor, senior QC exec Abigail Hanson and customer service trio Paige Cave, Carly Hepworth and Grace Fitch.

‘Strength and teamwork’

Emily, who joined TLA earlier this summer, said: “The gents of TLA have been doing an amazing job this year raising money for NABS, and this seems like a great opportunity to not only contribute to that, but to also bring the women together in a show of strength and teamwork.

“I don’t think anyone was expecting us to choose Tough Mudder as our first all-girls challenge, but given that we’re going to need to look after each other to succeed it seems very fitting with the work NABS do in the advertising and media community,” she added.

Meanwhile, Laurie said: “In the five years I’ve been with TLA, I’ve watched many teams complete bike rides, races and challenges all for amazing charities. I’m excited to finally take part and raise money for NABS. This is our first all-girls team and I’m looking forward to us working together and completing Tough Mudder.”

Over the coming weeks, we’ll bring you updates of how the team are getting on with their preparation as well as shining a light on the work they do at TLA. As a business rooted in the tech and marketing industry, we hope to provide insight and advice for other women looking to enter and/or develop their career in this field. Follow us on LinkedIn to stay informed of the latest content.

If you’d like to support the team with their challenge, please visit the JustGiving page.

Check out the official video from the London to Brighton cycle in aid of NABS

Fun. Adventure. Scenery. Camaraderie. The London to Brighton charity cycle in aid of NABS had it all – and thanks to our event partner Jungle Creations, it’s been captured for you all to enjoy and share.

The award-winning Jungle team, which were also among the cyclists, shot footage throughout the day to create a special video showcasing what the experience was all about.

We’re thrilled with the result. Watch below to see riders from Accenture, Mail Metro Media, Haymarket Media Group, IPA Group, Blue 449, PHD, MediaCom and more come together to raise valuable funds for NABS in helping people thrive.

This special event was organised by TLA as part of the Sea Change for Mental Health campaign, which aims to raise £25,000 before the end of the year. We would like to take this opportunity once again to thank everyone involved for making it a successful and rewarding experience.

If you’d like to contribute to the fundraising effort, please visit the official Just Giving page.

Media industry completes London to Brighton cycle for mental health

Riders from some of the UK’s biggest media agencies and publishers joined forces on Friday for an epic, 63-mile cycling adventure in aid of NABS.

The event saw teams and individuals from the likes of Accenture, Mail Metro Media, PHD, Dennis Publishing, Mediacom, Haymarket the IPA, NABS, Jungle Creations and TLA enjoy a brilliant day of cycling from London’s Marble Arch to Brighton’s Marine Parade, where they reunited for a memorable after-party and celebration.

Sea Change for Mental Health was organised and funded by The Lead Agency as part of a series of events for 2019 that aim to raise £25,000 for NABS, which empowers people in the media and advertising industry to thrive.

It was a fantastic day for everyone involved but we couldn’t have done it without the backing of the NABS team that helped us to promote the event; European Cycling Tours for ensuring a safe and fun passage for every rider into Brighton; the media industry for taking part and raising the money that makes all the difference; Jungle Creations, our award-winning video partner; and Accenture and Captify for sponsoring the event.

On behalf of everyone at The Lead Agency, thank you for making it a memorable day and experience. We are immensely grateful for all of your support and hope to welcome you back for future charity events in 2020.

We’re now starting the process of collecting and totaling sponsorships – if you’d like to support our fundraising push, please visit the Sea Change for Mental Health JustGiving page.